The Miracle Exam and a Lingering Promise

Never before had Qiyu paid such close attention to a monthly school exam. A good performance meant freedom, and he still vividly recalled the condition Lu Xingye had set for him: surpass his scores twice, and a wish would be granted.

‘Surely, that’s a bit too difficult?’

Lu Xingye, after all, had entered the academy as the top-ranked student in the entire city. Moreover, since his enrollment, he had consistently held the number one position in their grade.

The school administered monthly exams, and after the results were released, students were re-assigned to classes based on their rankings.

However, the elite classes, comprising the highest-achieving students, rarely saw changes in their roster. Only classes D and F experienced frequent shifts in their student populations.

Qiyu wasn’t inherently dull; his habit of cheating stemmed purely from indolence. Besides, in this Mary Sue world, someone of his striking good looks and sharp intellect could effortlessly outshine most others with merely a flick of thought.

Thanks to the key points Lu Xingye had outlined, this particular exam seemed unusually simple.

Days after the exam, on the day the results were posted, Qiyu remained slumped on his desk, drowsy, as if trying to reclaim all the sleep he had lost.

Few students from Class A bothered to check the honor roll in person. Instead, they all sat at their desks, engrossed in their own activities.

After all, everyone knew the top hundred spots were invariably claimed by the elite classes. The rest simply needed to check their scores on their phones.

The day after the exam, the entire school would undergo a ‘great migration,’ with students moving to their newly assigned classes.

Wen Nuo turned and patted Qiyu’s shoulder. “You check my scores for me, and I’ll guess them.”

“I dread the thought of slinking off to Class B after a bad score, or being mocked by Jian Lin, or even having my allowance cut!” Wen Nuo lamented softly.

Overcome with drowsiness, Qiyu waved a dismissive hand from his slumped position, muttering, “It’s fine. I have plenty of allowance.”

“I’ll give you… half…” Qiyu offered.

“Do I need to get down on my knees and beg you before you’ll agree?!” Wen Nuo deliberately exclaimed, his voice loud.

Wen Nuo had evidently forgotten to control his volume. The classroom instantly fell silent, and countless heads turned towards them.

Qiyu: “…”

Passerby A: “Isn’t Qiyu a bit too domineering?”

Passerby B: “Exactly, what kind of favor requires begging him on your knees…”

Passerby C: “It’s different when your family is powerful. Everyone else has to be his dog.”

Passerby D: “Didn’t they say if you cross him, you’d better turn tail? His family supposedly has a gangster background; he’s probably killed a lot of people in secret.”

‘Haha, are these classmates *really* afraid of Qiyu?’

‘If so, why were their whispers so loud? Every single one reached his ears.’

Qiyu: “…” ‘So they’re taking advantage of his good nature to bully him, huh? ‘Turn tail,’ they say? Couldn’t they be a *little* more dramatic?’

Qiyu swore he had debunked this particular rumor countless times, yet not a single person believed him.

“Did you really need to make such a fuss?” Qiyu lifted his head, glaring at him with a resentful expression.

Wen Nuo, seemingly oblivious to the numerous curious gazes, grinned. “I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere!”

“Where’s Lu Xingye?” Wen Nuo handed his phone to Qiyu, asking casually.

Qiyu took the phone, looking at the score inquiry interface. “He probably went to check the honor roll outside, right?”

“Are you going to guess or not? Don’t disturb my sleep!” Qiyu urged.

Wen Nuo thought to himself: ‘Does Lu Xingye, with his consistent scores, even need to check the board? When has he *not* been first?’

Hearing Qiyu’s voice, he snapped back to attention. “Oh, right, guess, guess, guess! Don’t tell me the total score yet; ask me one subject at a time.”

Qiyu propped his face on his hand, sounding bored. “You’re quite idle.”

As Qiyu spoke, he tapped the query button. Without any loading time, the total score and individual subject results instantly appeared.

Qiyu: “Math.”

Wen Nuo: “To be honest, my math is pretty good. If I didn’t make any mistakes this time, a hundred and forty isn’t an issue.”

Qiyu: “Congratulations. For math, you’ve happily secured a high score of ninety.”

Qiyu: “Next, please guess English.”

Wen Nuo: “…I’m not good at English. I probably only scored ninety.”

Qiyu: “Congratulations. For English, you’ve happily secured seventy-seven.”

Qiyu: “Next, please guess Physics.”

Wen Nuo: “…Uh, Physics is a bit weak for me. Eighty, maybe.”

Qiyu: “Congratulations. For Physics, you’ve happily secured sixty-six points.”

Wen Nuo’s heart took a severe blow. He dared not listen further, especially with Qiyu’s sleep-deprived, cold expression making it feel like he was listening to his own death announcement.

He let out a maniacal, cold laugh. “Worse than I imagined…”

Qiyu knew he didn’t want to guess anymore, so he handed the phone back to him.

Wen Nuo turned around, silently packing his belongings. When Qiyu asked, he responded mournfully, “I’m preparing for tomorrow’s migration. Class A can no longer accommodate a ‘great Buddha’ like me.”

The classroom was a bustling marketplace, everyone discussing their scores, yet Qiyu remained utterly uncurious. He had a rough idea of his own standing—probably somewhere in the teens within Class A.

The moment Lu Xingye returned to the classroom and sat down, the air seemed to solidify.

Neither of them seemed inclined to initiate conversation.

Lu Xingye cleared his throat softly. “Don’t you want to know your score?”

Qiyu, his mind still sluggish from sleep, replied blankly, “I know. I’m in the teens in our class.”

Hearing this, a soft chuckle escaped Lu Xingye’s throat. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Qiyu. “Congratulations.”

Qiyu’s heart pounded rapidly. He pressed his lips together, looking back at Lu Xingye, and whispered, “Did I… make it into the top hundred?”

The top hundred were the renowned elite classes. ‘Could he truly be a genius?!’

Lu Xingye: “Mm.”

‘Could it be that Lu Xingye hadn’t gone out to check his own scores, but rather to look up Qiyu’s?’

Overwhelmed with excitement, Qiyu bit his lip. He impulsively took Lu Xingye’s hand, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him. “Really, Gege!”

His excitement stemmed from a promise made long, long ago: Lu Fu and Lu Mu had told him that if he got into the top hundred, he could make any request he wished.

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t even dare to cheat his way into the top hundred. Yet, this time, he had actually made it in purely by his own merit.

It was nothing short of a miracle!

‘Should he ask for a house? Or a car? Or, perhaps, could he ask to dissolve his relationship with Lu Xingye?’

Dissolving that particular bond would significantly reduce the connection between them.

Reflecting on it, he realized a Mary Sue world truly was different; a casual remark could turn him from a fake young master into a ‘child groom’…

He recalled the scene from the day Lu Xingye returned:

****

From childhood, Qiyu had everything he desired, growing up utterly spoiled. His declaration of wanting to be a ‘child groom’ wasn’t about making amends to Lu Xingye.

He had simply been captivated by Lu Xingye’s cool demeanor and handsome face. Perhaps, if their connection had never been severed, he might genuinely have accepted that identity.

He still remembered that on the day Lu Xingye returned home, the sun shone brightly, and all the elders of the Lu family were gathered in the living room, welcoming their new member.

From a young age, Lu Xingye had been remarkably well-formed, with a straight nose bridge, perfectly inheriting all his parents’ best features. Despite being only seven years old, he seemed enveloped in a thick layer of ice, his entire being radiating cold indifference.

Qiyu, dressed like a small prince at the time, stood behind Lu Fu and Lu Mu, secretly peeking out to observe this unfamiliar elder brother.

And then, in front of all the elders, he had uttered those words: “I want to be Gege’s child groom, to make amends for Gege.”

Children had no concept of homosexuality; they only knew that whoever they liked, they wanted to cling to every day.

“You’re not thinking about how to get our parents to agree to dissolve our relationship, are you?”

Lu Xingye’s voice was like shards of ice, devoid of warmth, and the smile on his lips vanished instantly.

Qiyu didn’t understand how he had offended him, only weakly replying, “Is that not allowed?”